A mountain lion struck by a car and killed on Route 15 in Milford early Saturday morning is believed to be the animal spotted on the Brunswick School campus in northwest Greenwich last Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection) less

A mountain lion struck by a car and killed on Route 15 in Milford early Saturday morning is believed to be the animal spotted on the Brunswick School campus in northwest Greenwich last Sunday. (Photo courtesy ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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A mountain lion struck by a car and killed on Route 15 in Milford early Saturday morning is believed to be the animal spotted on the Brunswick School campus in northwest Greenwich last Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Connecticut State Police) less

A mountain lion struck by a car and killed on Route 15 in Milford early Saturday morning is believed to be the animal spotted on the Brunswick School campus in northwest Greenwich last Sunday. (Photo courtesy ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

Image 3 of 3

Mountain lion struck and killed by car in Milford

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A mountain lion struck by a sport utility vehicle and killed on Route 15 in Milford early Saturday morning is believed to be the animal spotted on the Brunswick School campus in northwest Greenwich last Sunday.

State police said the driver of a 2006 Hyundai Tucson SUV was traveling northbound in the left lane near exit 55 when she collided with the mountain lion around 1 a.m.

The driver, Sigred Lacson, 40, of Newington, was not injured, according to state police, but the animal was found dead.

"It's very unusual for mountain lions to be near the roadway and on the highway, so it's unique as far as we're concerned," said State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance.

State Department of Environmental Protection officials were called to the scene, and transferred the 140-pound animal to a DEP facility for further examination.

DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said it is likely the dead mountain lion is the same one seen three times in Greenwich recently.

The most recent sighting was reported last Sunday evening by several Brunswick School faculty, who said they saw a mountain lion at the school's King Street campus.

"It's pretty likely, given that there's no native population of mountain lion in Connecticut," Schain said.

The DEP has been working with the Greenwich Police Department to investigate the sightings of a large cat around King Street in Greenwich. DEP officials confirmed Wednesday the animal was a mountain lion based on a hazy photograph, large paw prints and droppings.

The eastern mountain lion was declared extinct in March by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and DEP officials believe the animal may have been released or escaped from a local handler.

The big cats can travel long distances, and the mountain lion may have traveled the 40 or so miles from Greenwich to Milford, according to the DEP.

No one will know for sure that the Greenwich mountain lion was killed, however, until the DEP's investigation is complete.

Schain said the DEP took some droppings, or scat, left by the mountain lion in Greenwich.

"It's possible we could get something from the specimen we have and compare it to evidence we gathered in Greenwich," Schain said.

Meanwhile, the husband of Sigrid Lacson is upset that she is being linked to the accident.

"How could she strike the mountain lion?" he said after being contacted Saturday night. "She was home sleeping at the time."

Besides, he continued, "we don't own a Tucson."

He said he knows who the true culprit is but declined to name the individual.

He also declined to give his own first name.

"People are making bad comments about my wife and she is very upset with the media right now," he said.

A Milford man whose father-in-law lives near the Wilbur Cross Parkway, where the mountain lion was killed, is skeptical it had traveled from Greenwich.

Gary Gianotti said his father-in-law, who lives on Wheelers Farms Road in Milford saw large prints in the snow and unusual animal droppings this past winter. Gianotti said his wife also saw an unusual animal a couple of weeks ago with "really long legs," though she did not report the sighting.

"We know for a fact from seeing the paw prints on our property last March it's been there," Gianotti said. "I highly doubt this thing was crossing the (Housatonic) river coming from Greenwich. It'd be hard to believe."

Schain said he didn't believe there had been any recent reports of mountain lions spotted in Milford.

"We have long held that there was no native population of mountain lion in Connecticut and in the Northeast," Schain said. "That was recently supported by a study done by the Fish and Wildlife Service. That's still our position."

Anyone with information on where the animal may have come from can anonymously contact the DEP at 860-424-3000, or its 24-hour emergency hot line at 860-423-3333.